Group Training Programs – 4 Ways Runners and Walkers Can Benefit

by Kirk Mahoney, Ph.D. on July 4, 2010

Joining a group training program for preparing you to run or walk a marathon, half marathon, or other-distance race requires more than paying your registration fee — if you want to get the most out of the program, that is. Here are four ways to do just that.

Attend the pre-season seminar for the group training program.

If you have never been a member of this particular group training program, then attending the pre-season seminar will let you talk to veteran members, will let you hear presentations from the organizer and head coaches, and will let you learn the philosophy and approach of the program in a way that you will not necessarily get by reading the program’s website.

If you are a returning member of your group program, then attending the pre-season seminar will let you catch up with returning and long-lost members, will refresh your understanding of the group’s approach, and will give you an opportunity to meet, inform, and possibly inspire prospective members — all of which may inspire you to register again and to pursue new running or walking goals!

Register early for the upcoming training season.

Registering early eases your program organizer’s job of getting a headcount for planning. Registering early removes the “psychic drain” of having to remember to register later. Of course, you could put a reminder on your calendar, but you also could miss that reminder. And registering early may make the difference in whether you have enough members for the group to form, especially when you are involved with less popular programs and in smaller cities.

Review all the hand-outs from your group training program for the upcoming season.

Your program’s organizer very likely does not stuff your registration goodie bag with lots of hand-outs. Instead, to avoid wasting paper and to avoid overloading you with information, he or she very likely will limit your hand-outs to ones that relate to your membership discounts and to things that you absolutely need to know as a new or returning member. So look at every start-of-season hand-out. Otherwise, you may miss important advice — such as where to park your car to avoid getting parking tickets — and valuable group-membership discounts.

Register to receive your group training program’s email messages.

Your program’s email messages can tell you about an upcoming workout’s change in distance from what was published weeks or months earlier. These messages can tell you about last-minutes changes in or corrections to routes. They can share inspiring stories from fellow members, as well as advice from coaches and the organizer. And they can remind you about the dates of upcoming races.

What do YOU do to get the most…? Please leave a comment here. Thanks!

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3 Ways Runners and Walkers Can Best Benefit from Group Training Programs

by Kirk Mahoney, Ph.D. on July 3, 2010

Joining a group training program for preparing you to run or walk a marathon, half marathon, or other-distance race requires more than paying your registration fee — if you want to get the most out of the program, that is. Here are three ways to do just that.

Wear your program’s membership identifier during group workouts.

Some training programs ask members to wear a particular jersey during group runs or walks. Other training programs ask members to wear a colored shoe-tag that is highly reflective on one side and contains emergency information on the other side. Programs may ask you to wear their membership identifiers so that they can quickly identify, account for, and aid all members during each group workout. They may do this to increase publicity for the group, which can raise awareness for a fund-raising cause affiliated with the group or can keep registration fees low by attracting more members. Whatever the reason, support the group that supports you by wearing its membership identifier.

Keep your program’s coaches informed about your goals, progress, challenges, and successes.

Your program’s coaches are not necessarily paid much, if anything, to coach you. But they are runners or walkers just like you. They want to help you to reach your goals, so you have to share your goals with them. They want to know how you are doing throughout the season, but only seeing you every Saturday morning for the group run or walk probably is not enough to tell them your challenges and how you are progressing. So make a point to email them occasionally with your own news. Finally, they thrive on helping others, so be sure to let them know about your successes — such as after you have returned from a marathon that nobody else in the group attended. Which brings us back to your goals: If you tell a coach well in advance about your upcoming race, then he or she may let the entire group know, so that its members can support you and maybe even join you!

Look people in the eye, smile, and wave as you pass their homes during your group workouts.

Imagine stepping outside your home’s door one Saturday morning to discover that there are 100 people running or walking right past your home. Would you feel even a little bit “invaded” by their presence? Probably. So think of the residents of the homes that you pass during each of your group workout. And acknowledge that you are somewhat invading their “space”; just look them in the eye, smile, and wave as you pass them. Who knows? You may hear some encouraging words in return, or you may hear words spoken in anger. Either way, you will run or walk faster!

What do YOU do to get the most…? Please leave a comment here. Thanks!

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Congrats to reader Soraya on her first half!

by Kirk Mahoney, Ph.D. on June 30, 2010

I am grateful for every SpryFeet.com reader. And today I want to congratulate and thank reader Soraya Habeych.

First, the congratulations:

Soraya, congratulations on completing your first half marathon on June 6 in the 2010 Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego Half Marathon, with a very respectable 2:38:52 chip-time!

Second, the thanks:

Thank you, Soraya, for honoring this site by wearing a SpryFeet.com cap during the race.

SpryFeet.com reader Soraya H.

Much more important, thank you, Soraya, for honoring an 8-year-old girl named Amanda, as well as others who have suffered from blood cancer, by raising more than $2,500 for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Now THAT rocks!

If YOU would like to contribute to Soraya’s fund-raising for this very worthy cause, then I invite you to go here and make a donation today. Thank you!

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Hazards of Running and Walking While Angry

by Kirk Mahoney, Ph.D. on June 17, 2010

Many runners and walkers, especially those who train for and participate in endurance races, know about the psychotherapeutic effects of running and walking. So, it makes sense to many people that going for a long workout could be a good way to recover from anger. While it is true that the time to reflect and the eventual endorphin rush could pull you out of your anger, the hazards of exercising while angry outweigh this benefit. Here are five of those hazards.

1. Anger while working out can program you to reduce or eliminate training.

When you exercise while angry, you program your unconscious mind to associate it with this powerfully negative emotion. But your unconscious mind is always working to protect you from pain, even if it does so in destructive ways. This means that your unconscious mind will try to protect you from the pain of anger, which you may have associated with running or walking. So you will reduce or eliminate that exercise — probably the opposite of what you wanted when you went for a long run or walk to “work out” your anger.

2. Anger while working out blinds you when you have to be your most cautious.

It is a classic story in books and movies because it is true. A story’s character becomes angry, goes out for a drive, and crashes his or her car because of failure to notice danger. Many running and walking situations entail safety hazards. Working out while angry means that you will be less alert to these hazards, which means that you increase your likelihood of getting into an accident.

3. Anger while working out easily leads to chronic injuries.

Anger can cause you to push yourself too hard during a workout. And pushing yourself too hard can easily lead to iliotibial-band strains and other injuries that can require long-term physical therapy for recovery.

4. Anger while working out drives away good training partners.

Even the best training partner does not want to train with you when you are angry. If you feel this way very often while exercising with him or her, you very likely will drive your training partner away.

5. Anger while working out attracts other angry runners or walkers.

The Law of Attraction works just as well, if not better, for negative emotions as it does for positive emotions. This means that walking or running while angry will tend to attract other angry runners or walkers. Do you really want this kind of runner or walker in your life after you have overcome your anger?

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How to Run Your Races with Courtesy

by Kirk Mahoney, Ph.D. on June 11, 2010

If you know how to run your races with courtesy, then you will activate the Law of Attraction in your favor. After all, racing with other runners can be a lot of fun. But, frankly, you can be a big source of irritation to other racers when you are careless about what you are doing while racing.

Here are several ways to be more courteous to other runners while racing.

Ensure that your running shoes’ laces are securely tied.

You can create quite a hazard by stopping in the middle of a road or path to re-tie your shoes. Plus, you can trip over your own laces, if they become untied. Take some extra time before your race to be sure that your shoelaces are securely tied. Or get a lacing system that can never become undone.

Look where you toss water cups, especially half-full ones.

Although a splash of water may be refreshing to you during a hot race, the racers behind you do not want to be splashed by your half cup of water just beyond a water station. For example, water splashed onto their legs can drip into their socks. Even the best perspiration-wicking socks can not necessarily keep up with that amount of water, so you could inadvertently cause a blister in a runner whose legs get doused by the water remaining in the cup that you toss carelessly. Also, the water that you spill can be a tripping hazard on an oily road. If you cannot drink all the water, then take care to toss the cup off the race course.

Stop by the side of the road or trail to spit.

Racers do not want to be “misted” by your spit, and they do not want to step in it, either. If you must spit, then carefully run to the side of the road, stop, and spit.

Look before stretching your arms.

Shoulders and arms can get tight during a race, especially a long one. But be careful when swinging and stretching your arms. Otherwise, you could accidentally bloody or bruise a quiet runner nearby.

Look before slowing to a walk.

If you use micro-level pacing, or if you are fatigued, then you eventually will have to slow from a run to a walk. As with arm stretching, look around before doing this. Failing to do so can lead to bad accidents, with several runners on the ground.

Warn other runners before cutting in front of them.

Cutting in front of other runners can be quite dangerous, especially when they do not expect it. Say something (“Excuse me.” or “Sorry. Crossing in front of you.”), or at least motion with a hand, before crossing the path ahead of another runner.

Announce tripping hazards that lie ahead of you.

Depending on how big you are, how small are the runners behind you, and how close are the runners behind you, you can cause one or more of those runners to trip simply by failing to announce a tripping hazard that lies ahead of you on the road or trail during a race. This is analogous to a motorist hitting an object in the road because he or she was following another motorist too closely or could not see beyond a very large vehicle ahead of him or her even when following that larger vehicle from a safe distance for braking. If you are about to step around a tripping hazard, then take a moment to announce the hazard to those behind you.

Stop to talk on a cellphone.

If you must take or make a call on your cellphone during a race, then stop to do so. Just as motorists who talk on cellphones tend to drive more slowly, runners who talk on cellphones tend to run more slowly. And this speed differential with fellow runners can be dangerous. Do the courteous and safe thing by running to the side of the road or trail, making sure that nobody is immediately behind you, and then stopping to make or take that call.

Do not race with stereo earphones.

Stereo earphones are banned from many races because of the hazards that they create as clueless racers miss announcements from race officials, emergency responders, and fellow runners. Race without earphones. Or, if you feel that you absolutely must have your own personal music to accompany you, then race with an earphone in only one ear, so that you can keep the other ear open for your race environment.

Do not run backwards unless you have a lot of room.

You may want to run backwards to work out a kink or when trying to face another runner whom you want to motivate. But do this only when you have a lot of room and see no hazards further down the race course. Otherwise, you may run backwards into another racer. Or you may fall and cause one or more of the runners who you were facing to trample and fall over you.

Avoid wearing costumes that interfere with vision or running.

Costumes on runners often draw laughs and cheers from spectators and other runners alike. But be careful what you wear. Avoid costumes that could obscure your vision or that could trip you.

Avoid running two or three abreast.

It can be a lot of fun to race side-by-side with a training partner or two. But realize that this can create a “wall” that blocks runners behind you from passing all of you. The solution is simple: Leave a space that can let at least one runner pass between you and your training partner.

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